The
Pesticide Industry has now gone on an all out war cry, not against the
Pests, as is their mandate but against public science, concerns of health
and the ensuing public opinion that is growing against their products.
In addition, at the receiving end of this tirade is a growing group
of civil groups, public health experts and even farmers, whom the pesticide
industry has seemingly been serving for more than half a century!

Please be aware all environmental
activists, NGOs and Doctors that your concern for the growing debt marauded
villages, or for the growing thousands of widows whose farmer husbands
drank the very pesticides to save themselves from debt ( look at the
irony – the same pesticides that "saved" them from pests
in their crops), or for the millions of consumers, exposed to pesticides
at poisoning levels ( for some pesticides even the smallest detectable
levels are known to be poisonous ) causing ill-health of diverse and
scattered nature, your concerns could after all be "anti-national"
& "anti- farmer".

The Agrochemical Promotion
Group has this new theory to put forward. And we have already heard
something quite similar some where before. "Either you are with
us (in this offensive against pests, which is incidentally making some
of us multi-millionaires, while a few thousand farmers or a few million
acres of farm lands could be poisoned) or you are against the country"
–seems to be their loud thinking. Moreover, the Crop Care Federation
of India, another of the pesticide vending cartels, believes that any
talk on the ill effects of pesticides is going to drag India behind.
They have it seems done some "Research" on this aspect!

Moreover, in their desperate,
yet systematic build up of their poisoning industrial empires, they
seem to have adopted some of the most emotive of claims. They are 'nationalists',
'progressive', and 'forward looking', 'farmer friendly In addition,
according to the CCFI formerly known as Pesticides Association of India,
the environmentalists are indulged in "an organized attempt to
mislead people. As a result India might lapse into wheat importing country."
Ironically, this year, India did import wheat inspite of surplus production
and stock. May we ask the pesticide industry why even after fifty years
of your crop protection the farmers themselves are not able to afford
to buy what they produce? Why millions of farmers, a known 40% of them
atleast are going to their beds with a hungry stomach, inspite of their
production, and your crop protection. The reasons are there to see,
if you have the heart to see them. While production has increased, and
productivity doubled or tripled, the farmer has to spent more and more
for the same, get more and more loans, for all the costly inputs you
have formulated and developed for him, and in the end made him eat his
own dust, while the agro-chemical cartels and promotion groups languish
in lavish bunglows counting the profits, and devising methods to protect
their pesticide products.

Ironically, the Food and
Agriculture Organisation, whose decades were spent trying to convince
and sell to countries the need for modern agriculture has off late seen
better sense and is promoting IPM, Alternate methods of crop management
and advocates minimal use of chemical pesticides. And infact, the Agro-Chemical
promotion Group, itself by name is a violation of the "International
Code of Conduct on the Use and Distribution of Pesticides" of the
FAO, signed by all countries and stake groups including industries and
environmental as well as public health organisations. We advice that
the APG change their name, as they should not, as per the code, be seen
as an organisation "Promoting" the agro-chemicals.

The irony is that even Chemical
companies cannot openly promote their chemicals as a "safe",
"non-toxic", "non-poisonous" etc, and they are bound
to the code and have to advocate judicious use of these pesticides,
as per need and only as per many state, national and international conditions,
most of which are for protecting public health and the environment from
damages.

Of late the Pesticide industry
lobby has been levelling some hilarious allegations against environmental
groups and anybody who finds evidence of their chemicals contaminating
blood or food or the environment. In a statement to media on 14 February
2006 at Ahmedabad, one of the top officers of the Crop Care Federation
of India stated that they had already initiated action against Maneka
Gandhi and Kheti Virasat Mission for making false claims about ill effects
of pesticides on human beings and environment. Now one would like to
now what kind of actions these are ? And who are they to take actions
against civil society who have been raising the concerns of the farmers
and consumers of this country.

It seems that agro-chemical
groups and pesticide industry is feeling threatened by environmental
groups when they say, "Baseless allegations of environmentalists
has seriously challenged interests of Rs.6000 crore pesticide industry
in the country …. As a result we have decided to challenge all
such false campaigns." Now, we have one of these groups taking
on this challenge that we as civil society has posed to them. We were
waiting for this. We have evidence that people exposed to pesticides
are being poisoned – farmers and consumers, women and children
and we have evidence – even official government statements and
data that many of these pesticides are extremely hazardous and many
even be carcinogenic and mutagenic. Now we want the APG and CCFI to
prove that our concerns, backed by studies are "false campaigns".

There are number of reports
that came out in recent past, which put pesticide industry in deep worry.
After CSE's report on pesticides in colas, followed by their expose
of pesticides in blood of Punjabis, then came the Greenpeace India's
report on impact of pesticides on growth of children that has sharpened
the debate. The PGIMER report on abnormally high incidents of cancer
in Malwa region pointed the finger clearly on pesticides for the dance
of death. The CSE's report on traces of pesticides in human blood in
Bathinda district initiated the debate on health and environmental impacts
of pesticides in media and larger civil society. A general feeling has
grown that pesticides are creating havoc for man and nature. Mean while
the campaign for No pesticide use by various organic farming groups
has gained significant momentum and public support. Many of the modern
farmers who had fallen to the pesticide trap in the last 5 decades,
have now realised and come out of the trap and have even joined the
organic movement.

In a letter to the author
of this article, who is also the Executive Director of Kheti Virasat
Mission, the Convener of Agro-Chemical Promotion Group (APG) Ninad Gupte
states that "You are levelling many wild accusations and criticizing
the use of pesticides and have made several statements which are patently
false, derogatory and misplaced". The letter further accused that,
our perceptions are wrong; they have no basis of substance and reflect
an unfortunate ignorance about the use and purpose of pesticides in
agriculture. According to APG, the KVM is not only confusing the farmers,
but are also spreading canards, which are not acceptable to the pesticide
industry.

Mr.Ninad Gupte has even gone
to the extreme extent by saying "You are yourself an educated person,
and surely would not like to indulge in anti national and anti farmer
policies of damaging Indian agriculture". Further, he "strongly
advised to either submit evidence that pesticides indeed do adversely
affect health/cause cancer at the levels they are found in traces or
withdraw your damaging anti-pesticide campaign"

We request Ninad Gupte to
read Para 3.9 of the International Code of Conduct on pesticide Use
and Distribution. It reads " Governments, with the support of relevant
international and regional organizations, should encourage and promote
research on, and the development of, alternatives posing fewer risks:
biological control agents and techniques, non-chemical pesticides and
pesticides that are, as far as possible or desirable, target-specific,
that degrade into innocuous constituent parts or metabolites after use
and are of low risk to humans and the environment. " So your pesticides
are a recognised risk – globally and nationally. And we are all
bound to see that we should reduce the risk. And when as a civil society
we see that this is an unnecessary risk and there is availability of
alternatives and better, cheaper and sustainable methods, how does it
become wrong to ask for the stopping of the use of chemical pesticides.
And according to your new found hilarious argument, would you say that
Government of India is "anti-national" when they advocate
IPM or safer alternatives instead of chemical pesticides !

The frustration of the industry
is understandable, but their actions are making a joke of their industry.
In his talk with media persons over phone Mr Salil Singhal, Chairman
of the "illegally" formed ( as per the FAO Code) APG again
shows his anger on KVM, Greenpeace and others for their safe food campaign.
According to him, an activity to 'mislead' farmers on pesticide use
is as equal as anti-national activities. He even dared to show his intentions
and declared that he would teach KVM and others a lesson.

Following this, the Crop
Care Federation of India had sent a legal notice to KVM asking for unconditional
apology in writing for commenting on health impacts of pesticides. The
CCFI notice claimed that, they have invested huge amount of capital
and generated employment and have also earned valuable foreign exchange
for nation. We feel that all these claims will look tall and impressive,
if it is not read with the ecological and health damage caused in the
process. The notice further says that the CCFI members, (read pesticide
manufacturers), "supplies quality pesticides to the farmers in
various parts of the country and world over without which not only crop
yield would have been reduced but also crops would have been destroyed."
More than 100 questions have been asked about pesticides in the Lok
Sabha just about pesticides, spurious, banned, illegal and about their
impacts. And most of the time, the Government categorically declares
that they are recommending IPM and also minimising use of pesticides"
Here are a sample of a few such answers

"The Government of India
is implementing a Technology Mission on Cotton (TMC) for increasing
the production and productivity of the cotton crop. The TMC includes
grants-in-aid for establishment of biological control laboratories for
minimizing the use of chemical pesticides and training of farmers in
Integrated Pest Management. Insecticides Resistance Management strategies
are also being promoted under this programme to complement the efforts
of Integrated Pest Management approach"

"The Government has
already conceded to a question in the parliament on pesticide residues
that "In general, pesticide residues are not desirable in agricultural
produce." However, as cured leaf of tobacco is not a food item,
maximum tolerance limit of pesticide residues for the same has not been
prescribed under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules 1955."

"… Government
is advocating `Integrated Nutrient Management` (INM) by promoting soil
test based balanced and judicious use of chemical fertilizers in conjunction
with organic manures, bio-fertilizers, etc. and also Integrated Pest
Management (IPM) providing mechanical, biological control methods and
need based use of pesticides, Government is also advocating organic
farming by using organic inputs for plant nutrients."

"The Registration Committee,
constituted under the Act, registers pesticides for use in the country
only after satisfying itself regarding their efficacy and safety to
human beings and animals. In keeping with the above objectives, it has
been decided not to register Class Ia or Ib pesticides without sufficient
justification, even though Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Code
of Conduct does not debar the use of Class Ia, Class Ib and Class II
pesticides."

CAN THE APG AND CCFI TELL
US WHY THIS PRECAUTION ? WHY THE REGISTRATION ? WHY YOU ARE GOING THROUGH
ALL THE TROUBLE OF TESTING AND TOXICITY STUDIES ETC ?

BECAUSE BASICALLY YOUR PRODUCTS
ARE POSIONS AND THEY NEED TO BE REGULATED.

And now, we have a spate
of studies that show that this regulations has miserably failed in the
country. The Endosulfan Spray issue in Kasaragod, Kerala has shown that
all precautionary and safety systems are a eye-wash in the country.
And following the medical evidence produced by a detailed epidemiological
study by the NIOH, the jittery industry and the government arm-twisted
the system to keep the pesticide in the market. The results are funny.
"Endosulfan is banned in Kerala, but can be used in all the other
states". The message is clear – If you want it banned in
Punjab, then prove that Punjabis can also be poisoned or may die out
of endosulfan !! Never in history has agriculture scientists, officials
and the industry ever distorted science to this blatant extent. Shamefully
blatant.

And the same history of violation,
the same drama is being enacted in Punjab – the hot bed of farming
crisis. While the APG and CCFI is challenging the people, let us have
a look at the ground in Punjab.

The entire eco-system of
Punjab , that sustained farming and was the food basket of India has
literally collapsed. There are several health impacts quite visible
in Punjab . The economy of Punjab is in great stress due to intensive
chemicalization of agriculture, and its unchecked modernisation. The
pesticide companies have earned corers of rupees from Punjab alone,
while the farmers are committing suicides. Even the government has conceded
the suicide data - 2116 numbers. Do the APG and CCFI have any idea how
these widows are surviving now? How their children are being educated
?

And the irony is that most
of the victims are farmers, not business men, not a single pesticide
dealer, stockiest and manufacturer suffer from chemicalized agriculture.
Farmers lost their farms , their houses are mortgaged but pesticide
industry has grown up. Their profits are rising high.

Now studies show that pesticide
have nothing to do with yield, productivity and food security. This
myth has been broken, and any such claims are only to satisfy their
egoes – after all they need a public ( national ) reason to make
profits, especially when the product itself is just poisons. And in
fact the use of pesticides have only increased the number of pests (
look at the state of pesticide sprayed cotton fields).

At the same time there are
several success models of NO PESTICIDE FARMING in India and abroad.
And many of such experiments are in Cotton and Grains, the two most
pesticide sprayed crops in the country.

It is also well-established
that cancers and pesticides are linked and that certain types of cancer
are related to pesticides more than other factors. The higher incidence
of pesticides-related cancers [within various types of cancers] in the
Malwa belt cannot be denied
either.

Punjab has always been a
state that showed the way forward for the country in the field of agriculture.
Our people are supposed to be the healthiest in the nation. But today
Punjab is a mauled figure. Its people are getting less and less healthy.
Its farmers are getting more and more depressed, indebted and disillusioned
with agriculture. Our pride – our farms and our strength (bodily
and economically) has been compromised and we have become weak. Look
at our off springs – and look at how unhealthy they are ? Our
farming – natural and organic as it used to be half a century
back - is now fully chemical and pesticide (poison)
driven. More than 50% of our cost of cultivation in most crops goes
for chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Today Punjab , just one small
state in terms of its agricultural area 1.5 % of total geographical
area and near 2.5% of total agriculture land of India , consumes more
than 18 % of the total pesticides used in the country. We believe this
is a shame and speaks very badly of our agriculture research and extension
work as well as our farming community – that so much of poisons
should be used to produce our food and crops. It's a shame especially
in a new brave world where more and more countries, farmers and consumers
are moving the organic way and becoming conscious of the safety of the
food they eat and the water they drink. Punjab still continues to consume
so much of poisons in the name of an old and now derelict method of
crop protection – by using pesticides.

Though banned about two decades
in many countries and banned and restricted in India too later, many
of the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are found in blood samples
even today, all over the world. According to PGIMER study, the blood
samples that they studied contain the residues of POPs like Heptachlor,
DDT, Aldrin and other extremely toxic pesticides like Chlorpyriphos,
Ethion and Endosulfan. The Centre for Science & Environment (CSE)
also found six to thirteen pesticides in virtually all blood samples.
Some of them were POPs as: HCH, Aldrin and DDT. They also found Monocrotophos,
Endosulfan, Phosphamidon, Chlorpyrifos and Malathion, all of which are
used in high volumes in Punjab .

POPs are banned in a majority
of countries in the world. They are to be eliminated from use all over
the world through the Stockholm Convention (2002), of which India is
also a signatory. POPs are known Endocrine disrupters and the main reason
behind neurotoxicity,
immunotoxicity, reproductive disorders, testicular cancer, and congenital
malformations. Even motherhood is challenged by POPs through foetotoxicity.
Many of the POPs are also classified as carcinogens, mutagens and even
teratogens.

POPs do not degrade for decades
and cause toxicity for a very a long time. Most of these POPs have a
half-life period of 10 years and more. There are several reports available
regarding contamination of each food crop in Punjab.

The World has changed a lot
in the last 50 years(ref1). When DDT was discovered and used widely,
the world thought that this was a wonder chemical. Today it is a recognised
POPs and countries have banned it, and in a few years it will be phased
out of the earth. We strongly believe that inspite of the tirade unleashed
by the Pesticide Industry, their lives are also not more than that,
and very soon, the APG and CCFI will be forgotten names in history.
Because mankind have always struggled to get out of this unsafe existence
into a safer and more comfortable world.

We believe that in the wider
interest of the farmers, consumers and the humanity as a whole, the
APG and the CCFI and all the other cartels selling pesticides should
stop this illegal promotional activity and their tirade against the
civil society. They should stop selling their poisons. We invite all
members of APG and CCFI to visit Punjab with us and find the reality
– the reality that bites. They could see the writing on wall if
they want.

Please live and let live the life and nature in Punjab

Ref1

The following are the various
international instruments used to regulate pesticides and manage crops
safely.

The Codex Alimentarius, and more specifically the Codex Committee on
Pesticide Residues, operational since 1966 (41);

· The Montreal Protocol
on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer , adopted in 1987 and entered
into force in 1989, and its subsequent amendments (42);

· The Basel Convention
on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their
Disposal , adopted in 1989 and entered into force in 1992 (39);

· The Rotterdam Convention
on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals
and Pesticides in International Trade , adopted in 1998 (1);

· The Stockholm Convention
on Persistent Organic Pollutants, adopted in 2001 (43).B. International
policy instruments that provide a general policy context for pesticide
management

· The Convention concerning
Safety in the Use of Chemicals at Work, adopted in 1990 and entered
into force in 1993 (44);

· The Rio Declaration
on Environment and Development , proclaimed by the United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development in 1992 (45);